Email Charter

 
 

We're drowning in email. And the many hours we spend on it are generating ever more work for our friends and colleagues. We can reverse this spiral only by mutual agreement.

1. Respect Recipient's Time

  • This is the fundamental rule.

  • As the message sender, the onus is on YOU to minimise the time your email will take to process.

  • Even if it means taking more time at your end before sending.

2. Short is not Rude

  • Let’s be clear: it’s not impolite to write short emails. Quite the opposite: it’s polite to respect others’ time. And you can still be polite and be succinct.

  • Don't take brevity personally and know that others won't.

3. Celebrate Clarity

  • Start with a subject line that clearly labels the topic, and maybe includes a status category [Action Required], [Urgent], [FYI], [For Approval]

  • Use crisp, muddle-free sentences.

  • If the email has to be longer than five sentences, make sure the first provides the basic reason for writing.

4. Quash Open-Ended Questions

  • It is asking a lot to send someone an email with four long paragraphs of turgid text followed by "Thoughts?".

  • Even well-intended-but-open questions like "How can I help?" may not be that helpful.

  • Email generosity requires simplifying, easy-to-answer questions> "Can I help best by a) calling b) visiting or c) staying right out of it?!"

5. Slash Surplus cc's

  • cc's are like mating bunnies. For every recipient you add, you are dramatically multiplying total reszponse time. Not to be done lightly!

  • When there are multiple recipients, please don't default to 'Reply All'. Maybe you only need to cc a couple of people on the original thread. Or none.

6. Tighten the Thread

  • Some emails depend for their meaning on context. Which means it's usually right to include the thread being responded to. But it's rare that a thread should extend to more than 3 emails. Before sending, cut what's not relevant.

  • Or consider making a phone call instead.

7. Attack Attachments

  • Don't use graphics files as logos or signatures that appear as attachments. Time is wasted trying to see if there's something to open.

  • Even worse is sending text as an attachment when it could have been included in the body of the email.

8. Give these Gifts: EOM NNTR

  • If your email message can be expressed in half a dozen words, just put it in the subject line, followed by EOM (= End of Message). This saves the recipient having to actually open the message.

  • Ending a note with "No need to respond" or NNTR, is a wonderful act of generosity.

  • Many acronyms confuse as much as help, but these two are golden and deserve wide adoption.

9. Cut Contentless Responses

  • You don't need to reply to every email, especially not those that are themselves clear responses.

  • An email saying "Thanks for your note. I'm in." does not need you to reply "Great." That just cost someone another 30 seconds.

10. Disconnect!

  • If we all agreed to spend less time doing email, we'd all get less email!

By embracing these ten principles, we can collectively reclaim our time, reduce digital fatigue, and foster a more respectful and efficient communication culture. Email doesn’t have to be a burden -it can be a tool that works for us, not against us. Let’s lead by example and encourage others to adopt these practices, so we all benefit from a more mindful and manageable inbox.

Credit: This charter was adapted from EmailCharter.org (now defunct)